Invasion Read online

  Craning his neck for a better view, Nat watched a man on the distant stage step toward a podium. He spoke to some of the other dignitaries and relaxed at the podium as if about to begin a government meeting. He cleared his throat, a gargling sound squeaking through the speakers. Sniffling and cackling, the apparent leader of the invaders prepared to speak. He adjusted his red and black suit, fiddling with a thick ruby sash across his chest.

  Somehow, Nat knew the orator was about to change the lives of every person alive on Tarrafa and probably Atheron as well. He braced himself, glancing up at the orbiting battleship and swarming fighters filling the early morning sky.

  "People of this world, hear my voice!" the man cried.

  Nat couldn't place it, but something sounded strange about the invader's tone. Each word carried a slight metallic ring, almost as if it was being transmitted through a computer.

  "I come here today to welcome you into the Zahl Empire!"

  The Zahl Empire.

  Not a faction or country on Tarrafa and not an attacker from their celestial neighbor of Atheron.

  Zahl.

  So, Jax Gretson was right about the broadcast.

  He glanced at Kad, who stared forward with a grim expression. The rest of the crowd tightened their ranks as if they would find safety in numbers.

  "Today will be the last day you will hear your language," the man from the Zahl Empire continued. "From this day forth, those of you who want to provide food, shelter and other supplies for your family will have the opportunity to attend free citizenship classes to begin your transition as productive members of the Zahl Empire."

  Harsh whispers shot back and forth in the crowd, mostly questioning the meaning of the invader's words. Soola squeezed Nat’s hand and stepped closer to him, her breath warming his ear and sending chills down his neck.

  "I am Governor Compa," the man said. "I hereby give notice the Empire has laid claim to this entire world. A fleet has blockaded your planet. There is no escape. Your primitive world, as you know it, is over. All government leaders will from this day forth swear loyalty to the Empire or face the consequences. People of Tarrafa, this should be a day of celebration for all of you! There will be many opportunities for service of which you will shortly be made aware. For now, return to your homes and obey the curfew. More information will be distributed among the population shortly. Obey the law. Any violations—looting, failing to submit to property and vehicle searches—will be met with lethal force until the new planetary government is firmly in place. That is all."

  Governor Compa's round shape waddled off the stage. The crowd stared forward for a heartbeat in stunned silence, and then looked around for answers. Soola stared at Nat, her wide eyes blinking with furious speed and the lashes bouncing her pink bangs.

  "What's going to happen to us?" she asked. "I'm scared."

  Nat bit his lip. "Me, too."

  As if to underscore their concern, two aircraft rose from the Capitol Gardens. Four short wings with cylindrical rockets roaring to life extended from the slender craft as it ascended above the gardens. Thrust shot the charred trees around as the ship moved, blasting spotlights into the crowd and hovering in the air like copters without blades. One remained above the stage and faced the people while the second continued down the length of Capitol Avenue. People cried out and cowered as the vehicle flew over them, a frightening array of weaponry extending from the aircraft.

  "Disperse!" a voice erupted from the hovering aircraft. "Leave the streets immediately and return to your homes! Anyone loitering in the city will be held for questioning!"

  The same message repeated, shaking the remaining glass and steel of the skyscrapers.

  Nat turned to Kad, who still stared toward Compa's stage. "What do you want to do now?"

  "We need to find your ma. With any luck, she's still in her office or close by it." Kad spun around but his eyes fixated behind Nat. "What are you doing here?"

  Nat followed his gaze to a burly man with forearms as full as tree branches leaning against the building behind them. His thick black beard with silver streaks masked his face, but he appeared to offer a tight grin. As the Zahlian soldiers barked orders, the giant of a man stood in stoic silence, staring approvingly at Kad.

  "Hodges," he grumbled, taking a step forward. "I think we need to get off the streets like the fat man said."

  Kad reached out and shook the man's hand. "Your brother thinks you're dead."

  He laughed. "Jax always did underestimate me."

  Nat shook his head, remembering the conversation with Jax at the cabin that already seemed to have taken place so long ago. "Are you Jet Gretson?"

  The man glanced down and nodded once. "Follow me."

  Chapter Five

  The Gretson Twins had been considered off-topic for most of Nat's childhood. Jet and Jax had apparently been friends with Kad from a very early age. While Kad Hodges had tried to stay on the straight and narrow path, Jet and Jax had always been there to tempt him with the other side of life. Growing up in rural Tarbenia, Jax and Kad had even spent a night in the local jail for a prank gone wrong. However, Jet was allegedly the worse of the two, getting caught several times smuggling contraband of an unsavory nature into Greeva. Whether it was drugs or weapons or something worse, the stories always ended without any juicy details.

  Or at least, that was as much of the past Nat and Tressa had been able to gather over the years before Ma would shut off the conversation.

  Kad would occasionally see the twins at public events, and Nat would watch his father speak to them in soft tones before bursting into boisterous laughter. When he was with Jax and Jet, his father's laughs would differ from any other time, becoming freer and wilder. Nat often wished he could join the conversation, daydreaming of a day he could have a drink with Kad and his friends.

  And now they weaved through the crowded streets of Greeva, following Jet Gretson through the occupied city.

  Jet ducked the Zahlian patrols, who seemed more interested in managing traffic than individual citizens. Most of Greeva hurried inside buildings, staying together in packs. The once bustling city of commerce and art had vanished, replaced by a sense of dread and an awareness of being under surveillance.

  Soola maintained a vice-like grip on his hand. Whenever possible, he managed a side glance at her skin like polished marble as it glistened with sweat, Soola pushing up against him at every crosswalk and building. Even as they hurried to follow Jet through the city back toward the industrial blocks, Nat felt the thrill of holding onto a girl for the longest time in his life. In fact, he'd never even had a girlfriend.

  You're being ridiculous, he told himself every time he caught himself staring. Still, the thoughts would return every time Soola pressed close. She remained quiet, listening to Kad and Jet exchange short grunts or instructions.

  As the sun reached midday, she finally whispered, "Where are we going?"

  "I have no idea," he said, eyeing a Zahlian soldier standing in the center of an intersection as he cocked his head to the side and looked in their direction. "Someplace safe."

  "You know that for certain?" she asked, interlocking her fingers with his. "Can you trust this man?"

  He swallowed, remembering the way Ma had always approached the topic of the Gretson Twins, notably Jet. He wanted to tell Soola the truth but didn't want her to worry.

  "I trust my father," he said, pulling her forward as they followed Jet and Kad across the street when the Zahl trooper looked in the opposite direction. "Come on."

  Jet hurried to the partially shattered front door of a women's clothing store.

  Hesitating, Kad nodded toward the business. "We're going here?"

  Jet lowered his gaze. "Shopping."

  Kad snorted. "I'll bet." He gestured to Nat and Soola. "Go ahead."

  "But what about Ma?" Nat asked. "You said we'd go to her office?"

  "Son," he said, lowering his voice, "do as I say."

  After looking back to the street
filled with scurrying Greeva civilians and peppered with vigilant Zahlian soldiers, Nat stepped into the shop as Jet guided Kad and Soola inside.

  "Be back swiftly," Jet said.

  Before they could respond, he shut the door and locked it. Nat watched him through the broken windows as the big man moved down the sidewalk and out of sight.

  Kad sighed. "I guess we wait then."

  With his mouth hanging open, Nat pointed in the direction Jet ran. "But where's he going?" he asked, his face pulsing as anger rumbled inside. "He's just leaving us here? What about Ma?"

  "I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

  "Oh, yeah?" Nat asked, lowering his hand and glaring at his father. "Ma would hate that you're with him right now. Don't think I don't know how she always felt about him."

  "Cool it, Natty."

  "Don't call me that."

  Kad folded his arms over his chest and leaned against a jewelry case. "Jet's the kind of man we need to talk to right now, son. It's not safe out there. You saw what's happening."

  "Yeah, and Ma's out in it."

  An awkward silence hung over the store, split by the loud barks from the occupying Zahlian troops. Nat looked around at the rows of trendy women's clothing. Some of the racks had wide gaps between the garments as if the store had been looted, while others had toppled to the floor, littered in shards of glass. A tank thundered by, rattling the remains of the windows.

  "Why don't we move deeper into the store?" Kad asked, standing up straight as he stared at the streets. "Might be safer."

  "Why?"

  Kad nodded toward the streets full of activity. "Those soldiers are going to start clamping down on the civilian population soon. They'll go house-to-house, building-to-building before long. The battle is over."

  "I'm sure our government's going—"

  "It's over, Nat."

  His voice cut through the air like an energy blast. Nat stared out at the streets, watching as the soldiers hovered over the people walking in stunned silence.

  "Fine," Nat said, not really understanding the angry feelings flashing through his body.

  Balling his hands into fists, he moved farther away from the windows. Ever since he was a boy, he’d read all he could about the might of the Oshua military. Family members had given him subscriptions on his digi-glass, full of colorful schematics of naval vessels and aircraft meant to safeguard the entire continent and Oshua's place in the world. Uncle Kenneth even gave him a book once, chock full of photos of VTOL rockets and wing-mounted cameras on the side of copters.

  And the Oshua military had fallen in a day to the Zahl invader. Now, the enemy occupied the streets and trampled on everything he'd admired since he could remember. To make matters worse, his mother was out there in the city with these invaders. What if she had died? What if she was hurt and needed help? Nat had been in her office before, seeing it full of overweight old men and women who got out of breath just walking up the stairs. They wouldn't be able to save Ma.

  "This looks good," Kad said, moving behind a table holding a stack of blouses. "Let's huddle behind here until Jet comes back."

  "If he comes back."

  "Stop it," Kad said as he sat on the beige carpet. "He'll come back."

  "Really?" Nat asked, kneeling behind the table. "How do you know he's not selling us out to the Zahl right now?"

  Kad laughed, the reaction shocking Nat. "Not likely. Jet and Jax have never been big on the law, but loyalty? Yeah, they wouldn't betray us."

  "You'd risk our lives on that hunch?"

  Pulling his knees to his chest, Kad stared at him. "I would."

  Soola sighed and leaned against the wall. "I don't care right now, true telling," she whispered, pulling up the legs of her pants and rubbing her smooth calves. "Glad to be sitting for a spell. Been a long night and morning."

  Nat stared at her bare skin, then shot a glance toward his father who stared at him. Blood rushed to his face when his father smiled.

  "Anyway," Nat blurted out, "why do you trust Jet so much?"

  Kad shrugged. "He and Jax have always been survivalists even if they bent the law here and there, but they know this city better than most."

  "Yeah," Nat pressed, "but why do you trust them? Has to be something—especially since Ma was never too happy when they came around."

  A shadow fell across Kad's face, his eyes drifting to some faraway place. "If you're smart and honorable, you don't forget the people who were there for you when you were young. When you get older, son, you'll understand. Right now, you're too busy being a teenager."

  Nat wanted to press the issue, wanted to know why Kad felt so connected to such rough people. Instead, he stared at the floor.

  They sat in silence, fatigue wiping all further desire to speak. Nat realized for the first time how tired the trip had made him. With his immediate thoughts of Ma drifting, he leaned back against the table and took a deep breath.

  The activity outside lessened. The streets emptied except for patrolling Zahlian units, some wheeled and lightly armored, others hovering over the pavement and releasing a whistling sound. Troops gathered at the nearest intersection for a time, holding some kind of briefing. Kad told Nat to sit, and he reluctantly followed his father's advice.

  "Hey!"

  The three jolted, Kad springing to his feet at the outburst coming from the back of the store.

  Jet charged out of a door with the same wood paneling as the wall.

  "Hell's bells," Kad barked, shaking his head. "What are you doing back there?"

  "Come on," he whispered, waving them forward with the meaty claws he called hands. "It's safe now."

  Kad didn't ask what he meant. He grabbed Nat's bicep and nudged him forward. Reaching down, he helped Soola to her feet, and together they followed Jet into the wall.

  The staircase smelled of mothballs and fuel. A lone light bulb with a rusted chain drifted down from the cobweb-infested ceiling. The stairs creaked with each step, wobbling as the four descended. Jet's bulky framed made it seem like they walked on a rope bridge. Below, the cracked concrete of a musty basement stretched like a secret catacomb. Wood shelves covered in an array of moldy cardboard boxes lined the cinderblock walls. Nat paused when he reached the floor.

  Six other men—remarkably similar in appearance to Jet—stood around a circular card table. Four wore oil-stained brown coveralls. The other two dressed in well-worn heavy flannels and hefty jeans. A smoky haze hovered over them as they stared at the newcomers. A garage door with blacked-out windows loomed behind them, revealing how the grim men had entered.

  Kad held his hand out to slow Nat and Soola, whispering, "Hang back a second, 'kay?"

  Nat didn't argue. He led Soola to metal folding chairs near the wall. The chairs squeaked as they sat. A chill shot down Nat's back as he watched Jet and Kad approach the table. The basement suddenly seemed colder.

  "Didn't know we were starting a damn sewing club," grumbled a man with a bushy black beard, his coverall unzipped to show a hairy chest. "What gives?"

  Jet thrust a thumb back at Kad. "Old friend. You can trust him."

  "How we know he's not with da invaders?" asked another man with a salt and pepper beard, folding his arms over his chest. "Could be a spy?"

  Jet lowered his gaze. "You're a lot dumber than you look."

  The man slammed his fists on the table. "We're risking our lives here!"

  "You think my friend's had time to join the enemy?" Jet asked, taking a stride forward. "The Zahl just attacked. Trust me, he's good."

  The tallest of the men around the table rose to his full height, his eyes sweeping the room.

  "That's enough, Tank," he said, his voice low and powerful. "We're all on the same side here."

  Jet nodded. "Thank you, sir."

  Nat studied the tall man who’d commanded respect from the others. His beard was trimmed neater, his skin cleaner except for a deep scar running down the side of his face. He wore a gun with an oddly full barrel strapped to his
hip in a shiny black holster and a long knife on his thigh. His inky eyes halted on Kad.

  "I'm Dedrick Rowe."

  Nat swallowed. Dedrick Rowe.

  The name sent a renewed shiver down his back. Rowe had been in the news a thousand times, and his appearance always changed in whatever grainy photograph the journalists had managed to gather. Whenever a politician was running for office, they'd set their sights on Rowe and his alleged organized crime ring with the goal of taking him down. After the election, Rowe would fade back into the shadows only to surface in the next round of political campaigns. Everyone knew Dedrick Rowe was involved in mobster activities throughout Oshua and beyond, from gunrunning to drug smuggling. Yet, as far as Nat knew, the mob boss had spent no time in prison.

  Soola must have recognized the name. She glanced at Nat but remained silent.

  "Mr. Rowe," Kad said with a nod. "Pleasure."

  Rowe gestured to the table. "Join us. Jet here says you've come from the mountains."

  Kad nodded. "Yes."

  "Tell us what you've seen," Rowe said in a tone hinting it was not a request.

  With a shrug, Kad told their entire tale since the invasion began. As he relayed the story of rushing to the academy to save Tressa and fleeing to the mountains, Nat realized for the countless time just how wild the past couple of days had been.

  Rowe took in the story without expression, nodding twice as he glared down at the table. "So, the reports sound pretty accurate."

  Kad blinked. "You're receiving reports?"

  "Hmm," he grumbled, plunging his fingers into the hair on his chin. "The Zahl managed to block our networks shortly after they controlled the skies over Oshua. Troops came next, scrambling most frequencies and wireless transmissions. Antique electronic bursts seem to still work, but most of the hard lines had been removed years ago. Even if there was someone on the other line, most people have forgotten the old ways and didn't know how to respond. The old ways are all we have left."

  "I've seen them up close, boss," Jet offered, glancing around at the other men. "These guys ain't so tough. Take away their tech and they ain't nothing but—"